Fruit press



Dec. 19, 1939. s. BLOOMFIELD 2,183,804

FRUIT PRESS Filed June 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H15 ATTORNEY.

FRUIT PRESS Filed June 4 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g I H Samuelfiloomfzeld INVENTOR.

HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ammo;

mun Panes I Samuel Bloomfield. Chicago, Ill. Application June 4, 1938, Serial No. 211,873

'i i llaims. (Cl. 100-42) one or the clutch ratchets as seen along lines This invention pertains to fruit presses and the like, and has among its principal objects the provision of an improved press of increased flexibility and power.

Another object is the provision of a press of the type having a stationary pressing member and a movable pressing member and manually operable means for driving the movable press in one direction by reciprocal operation of a handle,

there being-provided automatic clutch means releasable when the movable press has been'driven a desired distance by movement of the operating handle to a particular position.

Another object is the provision of means for 16 returning the movable press to a normal position after the automatic clutch mechanism has released.

A further object is the provision of a press including a reciprocable rack having a pressing bell thereon, a reciprocable operating handle and pinion means interconnected with said handle through a special form of ratchet clutch for driving the rack in one direction by reciprocation of the handle, and means automatically operable for releasing the clutch when the handle is moved into a predetermined position, whereby the rack may be restored to its normal position by means of a special spring arrangement.

Still another object is the provision of an improved stationary press and funnel structure which includes a platform, a funnel member removably locked in position on the platform and a stationary press member also removably locked in position in the funnel with an especially arranged surface configuration adapted to increase the pressing efilciency of the cooperating pressing members.

Additional objects and novel aspects of the invention will become apparent as the iollowing 4o description proceeds in view of the drawings, in

which: r

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the complete press; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the drive mechanism as seen along lines 22 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing the rack and pinion drive as-seen along lines 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional detail of the re- 60 turn spring structure as seen along lines 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional detail through the automatic clutch and is taken along lines 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation, partly in section, 01'

6-6 of Fig.5;

Fig. 'I is a perspective detail of the clutch ratchet of Fig. 6, including the releasing detent;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the rack and pinion, similar to Fig. 3 but includes the handle butler; and

Fig. 9 is a vertical section through the movable pressing bell.

Referring to Fig. l, the improved press includes a standard having a base I4 provided with a depression It in which a receptacle such as a glass I6 may be seated-to receive expelled liquids and the like. Extending upwardly from the base is an upright I! provided at its upper end with a hub arm l8 secured in place upon a shoulder on the upright by means such as a cap nut I9.

Between the upper end and the base of the standard, there is a stationary platform member including a collar portion 20 which is shrunk onto the upright i1, and which is provided with a conical seat or bore 2i having an inwardly extending rim 22 adjoining its bottom periphery and an inset ledge 23 adjoining its upper periphery. A funnel 24 fits into the conical sleeve portion or bore of the platform and is provided with atop cylindrical rim part 25 having an annular inset at its bottom periphery which fits closely onto the ledge 23.

The lower platform or bracket rim 22 is provided with opposite radially extensive notches (not seen) into which are fitted short longitudinally spaced ribs 21 and 21' disposed on the opposite sides of the funnel near the spout, and when "the funnel is dropped into position in the platform, the ribs or flanges 2'! are fitted into the notches in the seat and the funnelis turned after the lowermost ribs 21 pass through the platform notches, the upper extremities of the ribs 2'! will be wedged beneath the rim 22, thus preventing withdrawal of the funnel until the ribs or flanges are again turned into register with the radial notches. Each pair of flanges 21 and 21' might be considered a single flange or wing which had been notched between its ends to divide it into upper and lower parts 21 and 21', and the notched part is turned onto the rim 22.

Removably seated within the rim 25 of the funnel is a stationary pressing member or bell 29 in the form of a hollow frusto-conical member having apertures and bosses on its outer surface and an open base or bottom with a bottom;

flange 29' which seats on'an inner ledge in the funnel member.

A movable or driven pressing bell 40 is attached to the lower end of a rack bar 4|, which reciprocates in a sleeve boss 42 formed on, the upper arm I! on the standard. At its upper end this rack 4| is provided with a buffer handle 33,

by means of which the rack may be quickly lowered or depressed into position on the stationary bell by virtue of the provision of a special automatic clutch mechanism shortly to be described. The inner surface of the removable bell or press 40 is preferably, though not necessarily, smooth and is dimensioned to fit closely onto the companion hell or frustum when the rack is lowered.

Handle 33 has a vertical bore 34 with an enlarged upper end portion 35 and through fihich extends a headed pin member or screw 35, the head portion 31 of which bears against a compression spring 38 seated in the enlarged part 35 of the bore and serving to yieldingly urge the handle against the upper extremity of the rack.

Provided as an integral part of the arm i3, is a horizontally extending hub boss 44 (Figs. 1 and 2) having an axial'bore with chambered portions at its axial ends. Rotatably seated in the bore of the hub is a stud shaft 45 terminating at its right-hand end in a pinion 46 having driving engagement with the rack 4|. The shaft 45 has a reduced end portion (Fig. 4) extending beyond the pinion and slotted at its end for engagement with one end 41 of a clock spring disposed in the chamber and anchored at its opposite end 48 in a slot in the bore, there being an end cap 49 normally closing off this end of the hub. At its opposite end the shaft 45 is provided with a ratchet 50 adapted for driving engagement with a complementary ratchet 5| on the inner end of the crank shaft 52 extending into the chamber of the bore through a sleeve cap 53. The crank shaft 52 is slidable axially into the bore and is provided with a coil spring 54 which bears against the sleeve cap 53 at its one end and the companion clutch ratchet 5| at its other end and normally urges the latter ratchet into driving engagement with the ratchet 50 on the stud shaft.

The outer end of the crank shaft 52 is squared as at 55 and keyed thereby onto a hub portion 56 of a handle 51 (Figs. 1 and 2) by means of which the crank shaft 52 may be reciprocated to effect a unidirectional rotary movement of the stud shaft 45 by virtue of the ratchet clutch structure 505|54, the keying of the ratchet members being such that the rack bar 4| will be driven in a downward direction only by such reciprocation of the handle, and it may be observed that as the stud shaft 45 and pinion 45 rotate to drive the rack downwardly, the clock spring 41 will be coiled and tensioned and will normally tend to rotate the pinion 45 in a reverse direction to urge the rack 4| back into its raised normal position as seen in Fig. 1.

In order to prevent retrograde movement of the stud shaft 45 by the spring 41, there is provided a special detent (Fig. 5) in the form of a small stud 58 slidable in a bore provided in the cap 53 and having a chamfered edge portion 53 extending past the periphery of the driving ratchet 5| (see Fig. '1) and into locking engagement with the teeth of the driven ratchet 50, the stud being held in looking position by means of a spring 50. Thus as the stud shaft 45 is rotated by the reciprocable movement of the handle 51, movement of the stud shaft in a reverse direction is prevented by engagement of the end 53 of the detent in the teeth of the driven ratchet 50 so that the operator may drive the rack down- 2,1ss,so4

wardly by repeated short strokes on the handle 51 and when the movable bell 40 is driven tightly against the stationary bell and an article thereon, the operator may increase his leverage by turning the handle 51 upwardly a distance of approximately degrees from the position seen in Fig. 1, should such increased effort be necessary.

In order to release the detent and clutch mechanism from engagement with the driven clutch members, it is merely necessary to raise the handle 51 into a position substantially opposite that shown in Fig. 1 so as to cause a cammed or beveled surface portion 6| on the hub portion 56 of the handle to bear against a cam lug 62 (Fig. 5) on the cap 53 so as to cam the hub and shaft 5255 in a direction outwardly (toward the left in Figs. 2 and 5) of the hub boss #34 against the tension of the spring 54, this latter movement withdrawing the clutch member 5| from effective engagement with its companion member 50.

As the clutch member 5| is thus withdrawn. the peripheral edge portion thereof opposite the toothed surface bears against a shoulder 63 between the end 59 and the shank 53 of the detent and likewise moves the detent toward the left against the tension of the spring 60 so that the end 53 of. the detent is also withdrawn from effective engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 50, thus freeing the latter and the shaft 45 for rotation by the spring 41 to restore the rack bar 4| to normal position. As soon as the handle 51 is moved toward the lowered position seen in Fig. 1, the spring 54 will urge the driving ratchet 5|. into operative engagement with the driven ratchet 50 and the spring 53 will again urge the detent 58 into locking engagement with the driven ratchet 50, so that the rack 4| may again be driven downwardly by a repetition of the previously described operation.

Attention is called to an important feature of the invention whereby the operator may bear downwardly on the handle 33 on rack 4| and quickly lower the movable bell 40 into effective engagement with; the substance on the stationary bell, this being made possible through the clutch mechanism previously described, and having low ered the movable bell to a desired position, the

operator may simultaneously (by using two and upon attempted depression of' the operating handle 51, the spring 33 yields and the other handle knob 33 moves somewhat before the movable press flnally bears against the stationaryclaim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a fruit press of the type having a reciprocable pressing member, drive means in the form of a reciprocable rack for reciprocating said press member, pinion means for driving said rack, an operating lever and unidirectional clutch means interconnecting said lever and said pinion means and including a first ratchet member having driving connection with said pinion means, a second ratchet member driven by said lever means, spring means normally urging said second ratchet member into driving engagement with said first ratchet member, releasable detent means normally engaging said first ratchet member to prevent retrograde movement of the-same, return spring means energized by movement of said pinion means in one direction for driving said pinion means in a retrograde direction, and means for camming said lever means in a direction to withdraw said first and second clutch members from efiective engagement when said lever means is moved into a determined position, said detent means being moved into ineffective position by said second ratchet member when the latter is withdrawn as aforesaid, whereby said return spring means may effect retrograde movement of said pinion means.

2. A fruit press including a standard, a stationary press on said standard, and movable pressing mechanism including a verticallyv reciprocable rack supported on said standard and having a movable pressing member at one end cooperable with said stationary pressing member, a reciprocable operating lever mounted on said standard and provided with shaft means arranged for axially sliding movement relative to said standard, a pinion having driving engagement with said rack, a first clutch member having driving connection with said pinion, a second clutch member driven by said slidable shaft, spring means normally moving said second clutch member into driving engagement with said first clutch member, axially movable detent means normally engaged with said first clutch member to prevent retrograde movement of the latter, cam means for said lever and cooperable with means on said standard for effecting axial movement of said shaft to withdraw said second clutch member from operative engagement with said first clutch member, said detent means being movable into inefiective position by withdrawing movement-of said second clutch member as aforesaid, whereby said pinion is freed for retrograde movement, and means for automatically turning said pinion in retrograde movement to restore said rack to an initial position subsequent to movement of the same by said operating lever when the detent means is released as aforesaid.

3. A fruit press including a standard, stationary press means on said standard, an arm overlying said stationary press means, a rack slidably mounted in said arm for reciprocable movement relative to said stationary press means, a movable pressing bell on the lower end of said rack, the upper end of the latter extending beyond said arm and being provided with handle means for depressing the rack from raised to lowered position relative to said stationary press, a pinion in said arm and having driving engagement with said rack, a first ratchet clutch drivingly connected with said pinion, a. drive shaft mounted on said arm, handle means for said shaft, a second ratchet clutch member on said shaft, the latter being-movable axially in said arm to dispose said second clutch member in and out of driving engagement with said first clutch member, spring means normally urging said second clutchmember into operative engagement with the first clutch member, a detent stud arranged for sliding movement in said arm parallel to the axis of said shaft and having an end portion engageable with said first clutch member to prevent retrograde movement of the same and engageable by said second clutch member when the latter is moved out of operative engagement with said first clutch member to release the latter for retrograde movement, said lever having a cam arrangement cooperable with means on said arm when the lever is moved into a predetermined position for displacing said shaft axially to move said second clutch member out of effective engagement with the first clutch member, and spring means on said arm for effecting retrograde movement of said pinion to restore said rack to said initial position when said lever is moved into said predetermined position.

4. In a device of the class described including a reciprocable rack and pinion means for reciprocating the same, drive mechanism including a driven ratchet arranged for co-axial rotation with said pinion means, a spring-urged detent normally engaged with said driven ratchet to prevent movement of the latter in a particular direction, shaft means arranged for axially sliding movement co-axially of the driven ratchet and pinion means, handle means for oscillating said shaft means, a driving ratchet on said shaft means and constructed for unidirectional driving engagement with the driven ratchet, spring means moving said shaft means axially to effect driving engagement between the driving and driven ratchets, means providing a stationary cam member adjacent said handle and engageable by the latter when the handle is turned into a predetermined position to efiect axial movement of said shaft means and withdraw the driving ratchet from driving engagement with the driven ratchet, said detent means being arranged.

for movement parallel to the axis of said ratchets and being engaged by the driving ratchet upon withdrawal of the same as aforesaid to release said driven ratchet for return movement oppositely to said particular direction, and means for automatically effecting return movement of said pinion to restore said rack to an initial position upon release of the detent means as aforesaid.

5. In a fruit juicer including a reciprocable rack for driving a pressing member and a driving pinion for said rack, the combination with said driving pinion of coaxially rotatable handle means arranged to shift in the direction of its axis of rotation toward and away from said driving pinion, clutch members respectively coacting with said driving pinion and handle means and operable when the handle means is shifted into a normal position toward said driving pinion to drivingly interconnect the handle means and driving pinion, spring means normally shifting said handle means into said normal position, and means engaged by said handle means when the latter is rotatably moved ,intoa certain position to shift the same axially and disengage said clutch members so that said pinion means may be moved independently of the handle means,

6. In a fruit juicer, in combination, a recip- 4- 2,1ss,so4

rocable pressing rack and unidirectional drive means for said rack and including pinion meansrotatable to reciprocate the rack, a driving shaft and handle means for oscillating the same, said shaft being arranged for coaxial rotation relative to said pinion means and also to shift in an axial direction, unidirectional clutch members on said driving shaft and pinion means and brought into operative engagement when said driving shaft is shifted toward said pinion means whereby the latter may be rotated in one direction by oscillation of the driving shaft, spring means normally shifting said driving shaft to engage said clutch members, releasable means coacting with the driven clutch member for preventing retrograde movement theroef when the, driving shaft is moved in one direction, and means engaged by said handle means when the latter is turned into a certain position to shift said driving shaft and disengage said clutch members and release said releasable means whereby said pinion means and rack may be restored to an initial position independently of said driving shaft.

'7. In a fruit juicer, unidirectional clutch mechanism for interconnecting an oscillable driving handle with a reciprocable pressing rack,

said clutch mechanism including a driving shaft oscillated by said handle and a driven shaft and pinion means rotated thereby for reciprocating said rack, said driving shaft being arranged to oscillate and shift coaxially of said driven shaft. coacting unidirectional clutch ratchets each mounted on one of said shafts and brought into driving engagement by shifting movement of the driving shafttoward the driven shaft, detent means yleldably urged into engagement with the driven clutch ratchet to prevent retrograde movement of the latter, spring means normally shifting said driving shaft to dispose the clutch ratchet thereon in operative engagement with the driven clutch ratchet, and relatively stationary means coacting with said handle means when the latter is turned into a certain position to cam the latter and shift said driving shaft to withdraw the clutch ratchet thereon away from the driven clutch ratchet and move the driving clutch ratchet against said detent means to dispose the latter in ineffective position, such that said driven shaft and pinion means may be moved in either direction independently of the driving shaft.

SAMUEL BLOOMFIELD. 

